Thread Vase Thingy

The next assignment for my Machine Embroidery as an Art Form course is asking us to use 3D techniques.
I have been playing around with some ideas in this category already so am very happy to be trying more techniques.

We were given notes about a way to make a template from an existing object that I tried.  I chose a vase that I like as the template.  The vase has a narrower top than middle, so it was good to play around with, it is not one that you could mould the fabric onto and then slide the vase out.

I covered the vase with masking tape, each layer perpendicular to the previous.  I think I did about 5 layers. Then I got out some sharp embroidery scissors and cut through the tape.  I was a bit worried about scratching the vase, so I used a seam ripper to cut through the tape.

It wasn't a very exact template as I just ripped it away.  I am sure I could do a more symmetrical one if I concentrated.  But perfection isn't my goal, so the one I ended up with is fine.

Then I took an old paper bag that I had saved and used it to stick the template onto - it was a good size, bigger than the normal paper size, and sturdy.

I then laid out the soluble fabric on top and traced the template.  I used a permanent marker but it didn't all wash out properly, so I will try a different marker next time.  I think I may have had this problem previously but my most recent 3D works were in black, white and grey and it didn't show up.

Then I free motion sewed over the arms of the template, and the circular bottom.  I tried to make them all similar density as that can affect the shrinkage rate.  I wasn't entirely successful with this, some bits are shorter than others after washing out and drying.

I laid it out over the vase to dry, in hopes of getting a flat bottom.  As it had shrunk, it wouldn't fit on the vase very well.

When it dried, the bottom seemed much softer than the rest.  I'm not sure if I didn't sew it as thickly or if I had used a different fibre for the lighter pink that went up the sides.  Or I might have rinsed it out unevenly.

I hand sewed the arms together.  At first I used the embroidery thread but, after a very frustrating time, I changed to cotton that doesn't just slip straight out again!!!!  And it would't stand up at all.

The next morning I could see that there were little bits that the soluble fabric had left and they were looking shiny and annoying.  So I ran it under the water again and found a flat container that I could dry it on.  Lo and behold, it stands up now!  And doesn't have the annoying shiny bits.

I'm not sure what I will do with it, it is an experiment at this stage - really, a sample for the course.  It is suggesting a floral theme to me, maybe a bell-shaped flower.  I might follow that up, I might not.

lemon peel template

As I have been playing around with my cocoon theme, I have developed a few templates that I have adapted or devised myself. Someone mentioned that I might be able to use orange peel, done in a continuous piece, to give me a template for a sphere.
I looked around the internet and found some interesting images but not quite what I wanted.  I even found some mathematical sites that were of interest but a bit beyond me in terms of understanding what they were talking about! (Sample here)
So...
As I am interested in a more elliptical shape, rather than a sphere, I decided to try making my own, using a lemon.
I peeled it very carefully and took some photos to give me an idea of the proportions of the template, of the twists, etc.

The peel doesn't lie flat, so I will have to play around with the template to see what I can manage.


That is as far as I have got so far - now I need to decide how I am going to make it, what technique to use, etc.
I wonder if I could make a tapestry that shape?  Hmm, that is a lot of weaving for something that might not work.  I'll try it with paper first, or fabric.

The paper isn't working that well so far.

Perhaps that is because it is very flat, it might work better with a softer, more flexible fabric.  More play needed.

trying for 3D shapes

At the moment I am working on machine sewing, free motion.  I am trying to make some 3D shapes and have used a template that, when sewn together, draws the fabric up into a shaped piece.

 Here is the first stage, a flat piece of sewing. I have included some small pieces of fabric with the sewing. I drew the template onto the soluble fabric and sewed over the fabric and made some free motion lacey fabric. When I soak the soluble fabric off, the template distorts a little, so the shaping in a bit random but still works for what I want.

Here is one of the pieces with the uneven edges sewn together, drawing it up into a more moulded shaped.

I made two pieces, joined them together and here is the resulting 3D shape, hanging in the garden.